


say you'll remember me

by slamiltons



Series: in your wildest dreams [1]
Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Angst, F/M, Weddings, angry coffeeship discusions, hey hey hey there's a WEDDING, i ship rucas and everything but this idea has been driving me beans for months sooo, ink tatoos, leslie knope is mentioned fyi that's cool, people are mentioned, some are nice!!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-31 22:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6490171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slamiltons/pseuds/slamiltons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was going to walk down the aisle alone. And while seventh grade her might have cried, current Riley Matthews was fine with this.</p><p>/or/ Riley and Charlie are getting married, and the old people in her life haven't RSVP'd (well, they didn't get invites in the first place).</p>
            </blockquote>





	say you'll remember me

**Author's Note:**

> this story, going right in, in super angsty and primarily Riarlie (I'm a really big Rucas shipper, but this was an idea that's been in my mind for months). Honestly, I'm sick of people using Charlie as, like, a prop for their ship. He's not here to be abusive for no reason!!! Please!!! You can't just be like, "Let's take an underdeveloped character and demonize him so LuCAs and save Riley!!!" No. Please. (I just want Riley to be happy.) This is a one-shot for now, but I uess could be more...? Maybe, if people like it. Um, reviews are love, and faves are great, and reading this is the best.
> 
> (headcanons to be aware of: Riley and Charlie began dating sophmore year, she asked him out. Angela and Shawn got together bc her husband doesn't exist here. ~continues to be trash~ And Riley worked in government after college and met Leslie Knope and they became bffs because I need that.)

i.

"Alright, the cake is solid, my dress is set, your suit is in the closet, we have seats being set up on the lawn now, the tent is ready-"

He snatched the binder from her hands.

"Hey!" Riley yelped, grabbing at it. "Charlie! Bunny binder! In my hands! Now!"

Grinning, Charlie ducked out of the industrial kitchen where he and Riley had been checking over the entrées and wedding cake. Riley, barefoot, chased him across the lawn, following him into the on-grounds guest house where they were staying. The sprawling wedding estate had been recommended by Aunt Morgan (from her and Uncle Dustin's wedding two years ago), and fit what Riley and Charlie wanted for their wedding: simple, elegant charm. (And fairy lights. Riley needed fairy lights.)

Charlie, throwing open the screen door, dashed into the sitting room and slid the binder on top of the bookcase, where Riley couldn't reach, even if she stood on every chair in the room (when they were playing sock hockey last week, Riley got the sock puck stuck up there and banged all her limbs trying to grab it off).

Riley halfheartedly jumped for it, accepting defeat to her micromanaging.

Charlie wrapped his arms around his glaring fiancée. "You and I have been planning this wedding for weeks, babe. I, for one, am tired of stringing pompom garlands on everything. We're going to go back to the kitchen and eat the food I got earlier, which you asked me to do." He picked her rigid form up and started carrying her to the door.

"Nope. No. Bad plan. Not good. Riley no like," the bride-to-be complained all the way across the lawn, back to the kitchen. Charlie dropped her down outside the door.

"Ugh," Riley grumbled, shoving it open. "I get to give you another tattoo, though." She gave Charlie a glitter-pen tatoo every time he annoyed her. (The Howdy Fight, as they'd called it ominously ever since, had resulted in Charlie waking up with, somehow, a bunch of tiny sparkly orange stars on his forearms.) Riley pulled the purple glitter pen out of her overalls pocket.

Charlie, unfazed, dug through the Panera bag and handed Riley her salad and chips. He unwrapped his flatbread, sat on one of the folding chairs by the counter, and took a messy bite as Riley drew a purple cat (her signature now: every guest bag had one, hand-drawn) on his free palm.

"You know I love these," Charlie grinned.

"Duh," Riley said, smile wide as she sat down and poured chips on her salad.

"Gross."

"That's false."

"It's salad, it's supposed to be healthy."

”When we’re married, I will put chips on all of our salad.”

”And I will gag every time.”

Riley shrugged cheerfully. "That’s love, babe. Oh, when are your sisters coming down?"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Numbers one and four are already here with mom, two is coming in tonight, three will arrive the morning of, and five is probably still at her ashram, so we're good there."

"I love your sisters!" Riley said fondly, smiling big again. "Violet and Agnes are a huge help, and Cynthia and Sybil are going to be too. We’ll send Raye pictures.”

Charlie looked impressed. "I don't remember which is which half the time, so you're scoring major points in my family."

There was a pause. Just the word family seemed to do that, just shut down the conversation in a second.

"Are you sure you want to do this now? When you're at odds with...?" Charlie said softly.

Riley pressed her lips together, setting down her pen and stabbing chip-salad with her fork. "I want it small. I love your family. It sucks that mine can't come-"

"Because you didn't invite them," Charlie reminded her.

Riley shoved his shoulder. "But they were being stubborn about this all. I've stressed that. More than stubborn, they just wouldn’t accept this. Us. Me.” She blinked and shrugged again. “My grandparents, Josh, Aunt Morgan and Uncle Dustin, Zay, Eric, Shawn and Angela can come. I want Auggie to come, but I don't want Mom and Dad to find out."

"You haven't talked to your parents in-"

"Only a few months," Riley sighed. "Not since they told me how I should feel and that I should ditch you to wait around for Lucas. And once upon a time, Maya would have been my maid of honor and was helping me plan. But if she wants to blame me for feelings, hold her feelings over mine, which is something I always tried not to do, and turn pretty much all of my grade against me in senior year..." Riley’s voice broke. She bit her lip, hating how bitter it all sounded. "I'm living with that. Guess who stuck by me, huh? You-" She leaned over, grabbing his inked hand. "Farkle, until...well. And Zay. Heck, my own dad hugged Maya every time she cried to him about anything, but would give me A Lecture every time I wanted comfort. Plus, they wanted me to continue old, toxic relationships with Lucas and Maya and Farkle and ditch one, this one, that is loving and healthy-" Her voice cracked again - it usually did when she talked about her family.

Charlie set his sandwich down on the paper bag and held out his arms. Riley set the salad aside and leaned over. Charlie pulled her onto his lap and hugged her (she loved his hugs, and how his clothes always smelled like lavender detergent) for what could have been hours (two minutes). He tilted her chin up, and they kissed, letting it be just them in the cold, silver kitchen for another eon (thirty seconds). And Riley's mind wandered back, far back, to-

/

Five months earlier, in a small coffee shop in Washington, DC, when Farkle was on business and he met up with Riley. Both twenty-six, Riley freshly engaged. And they fought.

"But you love L-"

"I swear, Farkle, if you say his name again-"

"You love him, Riley!"

"I did! I loved him, but he didn't choose. Anything. And I was fine with that, until Maya started shutting me out. She thought it was my fault he didn't love her. Then she starts dating Lucas in high school, and they begin to ignore me. Charlie was there for me. I love him."

"You're making a mistake."

Riley slammed her hand down on the table of the café- mericfully, nearly empty. "For once, Farkle, I wish that everyone in my life didn't act like I was stupid. I can make choices for myself."

"But Riley, you're settling." Farkle grabbed her hand, but she twisted away. "He doesn't love you like Lucas does."

"Oh, in what way? The way where he says he doesn't want to choose me or Maya, and then she just...kisses him one day, he chooses her, and it's like, who's Riley? Then Lucas says he wants to consider my feelings, and it hurts poor Maya, and soon the whole freakin' grade sees me as, like, a homewrecker. Do you know how long Charlie and I yelled about that? About how now he thinks I still have feelings for Lucas? From years ago? And he, Charlie, HE apologized. He cares."

"Your dad-"

"Oh, please. Like he cares about my feelings. I told my parents about the engagement, and my dad just...talked to me like I was eight. He gave me this whole speech about how I should, like, ask Lucas' permission about this? And my mom pretty much straight-up told me that she didn't think it was a good idea. I'm so glad I haven't told them anything else. Courtney is being the best right now, letting me live with her. College roommates, man."

"Don't you live in one room and sleep on a mattress on the floor together?"

"And it's a million times better than living with my parents."

Farkle twisted his napkin. "I'm just going to say it. I think that you shouldn't marry Charlie."

Riley glared at him, then let her face relax. "W-why don't you think so?" she asked, semi-reasonably.

Farkle paused. "Just...he's never felt right for you."

"You mean how he asked me to the semi-formal? Asked me on a date, where he was a gentleman and let me talk about my feelings? Left me alone when I said I liked Lucas, then said he'd go out with me when I asked him sophmore year? Maybe I didn’t always, but now - now, he’s my world. I love him."

"I just don't think it'll work," Farkle said firmly. He put his hand on Riley's. "If you really love any of us...you won't marry him."

"And do what with my life?"

"Anything. Whatever makes you happy."

Riley looked at his face, concern etched in the dark eyes. She smiled and patted his hand. "Okay. I understand, Farkle."

"You do?"

"Yeah," Riley said, smiling and standing up, tossing her cup in the trash. Farkle stood too.

"I'm gonna do what makes me happy," Riley said softly. Farkle nodded.

"I'm going to marry Charlie," Riley said, her face changing from happy to quietly angry. "And you don't have to worry about suffering through such a terrible wedding. The invite won't be extended to you."

Riley walked out, leaving her old friend staring after her.

///

And that was when Riley had lost regular contact with almost everyone from her younger life, excluding Auggie and Zay. It hurt every day- a suffering relief.

His hand slipped into hers.

"You should know, Charlie," she whispered, leaning againt his shoulder. "They were wrong."

She wrapped herself around his arm, and he leaned his head on hers.

"You're all I need. Now and forever."

She held up her hand, palm facing the ceiling, ring turned to face them- Riley and Charlie Gardner.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm honestly 1000% ready for shippers to attack me. y'all.


End file.
